The Mother of All
by Nintendoman01
Summary: Buffy/Angel/Supernatural/Charmed crossover. The Scooby Gang, Angel Investigations, Charmed Ones, and Winchester brothers are called to New York City by the Powers That Be to prevent the rise of Eve, the progenitor of monsterkind, and her army of darkness.
1. Prologue

_**The Mother of All  
**_

_**A Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel/Charmed/Supernatural crossover**_

_**By** **Nintendoman01**_

* * *

**Author's Note: ****  
**

I came up with this idea on a whim, and after reading The Night Lord's _Inferno_ and _In__ferno II: Lucifer Rising_. I'm really just seeing where it goes here. Constructive criticism is appreciated, but I will _not_ tolerate flames of any kind; if you don't like it, then don't read it.

I'm trying to keep it at a Teen rating, but let's just say I'm gonna push the boundaries a bit.

This fic takes place after the events of A Beautiful Sunset, Appointment in Samarra, Forever Charmed, and Angel: Aftermath, with some mild AU here and there. Okay, here we go...

* * *

**Prologue**

* * *

**Slayer HQ, Scotland  
Tuesday, March 15, 1:30 P.M.****  
**

"How are you feeling?" Xander asked

"Like a mummy," Buffy replied, "One of the Egyptian kind."

"But apart from that?"

"A little sore. I'll be fine. I'll heal."

"You took a nasty beating from this guy, whoever he is."

"I don't know. When we were fighting, he said a few things, hinting that I know him. But I have no idea who he is. Apart from the fact that he's very strong and can fly."

"You shouldn't let that get you down," Xander said, "You'll come through with this in the end. You always do."

"This time, I'm not so sure," Buffy said, "I may not be able to beat this guy."

"Well, I've some girls researching about Twilight, see what we can find."

"The girls that are at least still sober, right?"

"Yeah, there are some girls that aren't as drunk as the others. Dawn for one."

"She's a giant. Do you have any idea how much she would have to drink?"

"I think ten times more than what Spike used to drink. I've noticed how you're changing the subject."

"I'm not changing the subject," Buffy said, "Okay, maybe I am. But I've got a lot of stuff to deal with. Amy, the army, Dawn, now this Twilight guy."

"Hey, it's okay," Xander reassured, "We'll be fine. We can take some of the load."

Buffy sighed and placed a hand on her bandaged forehead, before looking at her best friend, a small smile appearing on her face.

"I wonder if there's anything left downstairs."

"Let's find out."

With that, Xander gently took Buffy's hand and helped her up, and they made their way downstairs, unaware of a mysterious figure that was floating outside the window, watching them. After a moment, the figure was engulfed in an obsidian mist and disappeared.

* * *

**St. Matthews Hospital, Los Angeles, California  
Tuesday, March 15, 8:30 P.M.  
**

Angel pulled his Plymouth GTX into the driveway of St. Matthews and exited. He had just finished up his latest case, having quashed a hit organized by the demon loan shark Teeth, a.k.a. Bro'os, and was now embarking on his on-his-way-home ritual: a quick stop at the hospital where Charles Gunn was interred.

Angel thought back to the events that led to this: in revenge for his betrayal of them, the Senior Partners had transferred the entire city of Los Angeles into a hell dimension, where he was turned into a human and Gunn was turned into a vampire. Knowing that the Senior Partners' plans depended on him, Angel had provoked Gunn into killing him, forcing the Partners to rewind time to revert the Fall of L.A. With that, Angel had managed to save Gunn from the vampire that would have sired him, and took him to St. Matthews to treat the severe wounds that he had suffered battling Senator Brucker and her vampire flunkies, where he had fallen into a coma. Though he remained comatose, Gunn's condition was slowly but surely improving. Furthermore, despite the time reversion, everyone in Los Angeles remembered their time in hell, and Angel and his colleagues were revered as heroes.

Thus, the moment he entered, several people within eyesight stopped to wave. Angel waved back out of politeness, as this had grown a bit tiring. Ever since the Fall was reversed, he and the rest of Angel Investigations had become something of celebrities. Everybody would stop them to chat, take a picture, or try to get an autograph. A.I.'s business had also dwindled somewhat, as several potential clients had turned out to simply be fans and admirers wanting to see him rather than people who actually needed help. Fortunately, most of this annoying behavior had dwindled over time, and now was limited to a few friendly greetings.

Deciding to take no further notice of any of his fans, Angel strode past them and made his way to Gunn's room, where he was unsurprised to see Illyria standing near the wall, watching Gunn intently. He nodded in acknowledgement, getting a nod in return, and took a seat next to Gunn's bed.

"Hi, Gunn," he said out loud. "It's me again."

Gunn, of course, didn't answer, but Angel continued anyway, telling him on what was going on with them. Thanks to his newfound celebrity status, Angel had managed to reestablish Angel Investigations in their old stomping grounds, the Hyperion Hotel. Spike and Connor had rejoined, along with Illyria, and they were also joined by Gwen Raiden and Kate Lockley, with the Groosalugg, Lorne, and Nina Ash helping them every once and a while alongside newcomer Desdemona, or Dez, and Laura Weathermill, a former Watcher.

Angel calmly sat with Gunn for an hour before standing up, ready to take his leave. After a moment, he produced an Angel Investigations business card from his duster pocket and laid it on the nightstand before making his way out.

As soon as he exited the hospital, Angel could sense that something was off. He stopped short and turned to see a mysterious figure leaning against his car. Unbeknownst to Angel, this was the same figure who had been previously spying on Buffy and Xander in Scotland.

Angel approached him, ready for any kind of attack as he observed the figure. It was a tall, well-built man, dressed in a black-and-silver striped turtleneck sweater and dark blue denim pants underneath a dark green trench coat with black-and-silver striped interior lining that matched his shirt. He also wore a navy blue fedora on his head and a pair of translucent blue sunglasses, along with knee high black leather boots and black fingerless leather gloves. To complete the look, he bore a bizarre red symbol on the chest of his sweater, said symbol appearing to be a pole with a horizontal triangle protruding from the middle.

If his wardrobe wasn't strange enough, his physical appearance certainly was. Dark blue veins protruded out from his face, which was deathly pale, his hair was a deep bluish-black, his ears were slightly pointed, and his eyes, visible even through his shades, were a vibrant gold with black sclerae.

"Well now, what can I do for you?" Angel asked calmly as he reached the figure.

The man grinned, revealing a pair of slightly-enlarged canines.

"The name's Oswald Krueger, but you can call me Ozzy," he said, tipping his hat. "I just came to talk, Angelus."

"My name is Angel," Angel replied automatically. "I'm just gonna take a wild guess and say that you're not human, are you?"

Ozzy chuckled. "Well, you catch on quick. Let's just say I'm... unique. I come here on behalf of my mistress, the Mother of All."

"Never heard of her," Angel replied.

"You should've," Ozzy said. "She is the progenitor of all monsters on this planet, including you and I. Soon, she will walk the Earth again."

"And why exactly are you telling me this?" Angel asked, slowly lowering himself into a combat stance.

"I'm merely giving you a chance to embrace your nature as a vampire and join us. When the Mother comes, the human cattle will be domesticated, and a new Primordium Age will begin."

Angel only took one-eighteenth of a second to consider his response, and lashed out with a snap-kick, only for Ozzy to catch his foot with ease and flip him through the air, where he hit the ground with a thud.

"Figures you wouldn't go for it," Ozzy said calmly. "I'll give you time to consider my offer."

With that, Ozzy vanished in a cloud of black mist, leaving Angel alone. After a minute, the vampire got to his feet and slid into his car. It looked like Angel Investigations had a new threat to deal with.

* * *

**Alley Behind P3, San Francisco, California  
Tuesday, March 15, 8:30 P.M.  
**

At the same time as Angel's brief confrontation with Ozzy, another one was happening in the alleys behind a San Francisco nightclub.

Piper just barely managed to duck as a massive fist whistled through the air and slammed into the concrete wall where her head was just a few seconds earlier. The fist shattered the concrete on impact and sank deep into the wall. Piper quickly scrambled away as the fist's owner struggled to remove his arm from the wall.

Phoebe saw her chance and took it. Levitating into the air, she kicked the Brute demon in the face with all her might. The blow forced the Brute's head back a bit, but that was about it.

The Brute swatted her away with his free hand, and finally pulled his fist out of the wall just as Paige entered the fray. With her telekinetic orbing, she levitated a garbage can and threw it at the Brute, hitting him in the head.

Seizing the opportunity, Leo produced a potion from his jacket pocket and shattered it over the Brute's head. Almost immediately, the Brute burst into flames and vanished with a scream.

"God, I'm getting tired of this shit." Phoebe muttered as she got to her feet.

Piper and the others agreed on that. It had been three months since the "Ultimate Battle" that had been prophecied by the Angel of Destiny. Despite what they had believed, their battles with evil magical beings were not over, and supernatural activity only seemed to increase more and more as time went on. The fight with the Brute Demon was only the latest.

"Is this ever gonna end?" Piper wondered aloud.

"It will, but not in the way you expect."

The sisters and Leo whirled in the direction of the new voice to see a man standing behind them. Well, it was hard to tell if it was a man due to the mask covering his face. He appeared humanoid, with a dark blue trench coat over a faded gold chest plate that had a symbol of a setting sun carved on it.

"Who the hell are you?" Paige asked.

"I am Twilight."

"Didn't know the circus was in town," Piper deadpanned.

"It isn't. I am here to give you a warning."

"Really? What about?" Leo asked.

Twilight didn't answer. Instead, he lunged forward with blinding speed and punched Piper in the face, sending her sailing back to slam into a dumpster with her back, putting a large dent in it. Leo quickly rushed to his wife's side as Piper sat up, wiping blood off of her lip as Twilight clasped his hands together.

"Jesus, what _are_ you?" Piper asked incredulously as she got to her feet.

"Would you like to find out?"

"Not really, but do we have a choice?"

Twilight bent down in a fighting stance, while Leo and the Charmed Ones prepared.

* * *

**Bobby's House, Sioux Falls, South Dakota  
Tuesday, March 15, 6:30 P.M.  
**

Dean leaned against the wall of Bobby's kitchen, thinking of the recent events. He had just restored Sam's soul with the help of Death, and everything seemed alright since Sam had no memory of being trapped in Lucifer's Cage. However, he just couldn't help but think that something bad was about to happen.

The sound of flapping wings came to his ears, and Dean was not surprised at all to see Castiel appear.

"How is he?" the angel asked, getting right down to business.

"So far, so good," Dean replied. "He doesn't remember anything about the Cage. I think we're in the clear, Cas."

"For his sake, I hope you're right, Dean." Castiel said calmly.

Dean was about to answer, but before he could, a bright light suddenly appeared outside. The two immediately rushed out the front door, followed by Sam and Bobby. Sam, Dean, and Bobby quickly drew their handguns, while Castiel simply looked on, his face impassive.

The light slowly faded away, revealing a woman standing before them. She had tanned skin and brown wavy hair falling around her face, sitting just above her shoulders. She was wearing completely all-white. The brothers and Bobby aimed their guns at her, but she didn't even blink.

"Okay, who are you and how'd you do that?" Dean asked

"My name is Cordelia Chase and I am a Power That Be."

"Power That Be what?" Sam asked

"Power That Be. Cosmic forces of good who watch over the world and protect the innocent through champions," Cordelia answered. "I'm here to warn you guys that something big is coming."

"Really?" Bobby asked. "What is this big thing, exactly."

Cordelia drew a deep breath and looked at them, a look of fear slowly creeping across her features.

"The mother of all monsters. _Eve._"

* * *

**Author's Note:  
**

Well, here's the prologue. I apologize if any of the characters are OOC in any way, this is my first fic about any of them.

Please R&R. Until next time...


	2. The Messenger

**- Chapter 1 -**

**The Messenger**

* * *

**Singer Salvage Yard, Sioux Falls, South Dakota  
Tuesday, March 15, 6:35 P.M. ****  
**

Castiel gasped and turned pale in a rare show of emotion.

"No, it can't be..." he whispered.

"Afraid so." Cordelia said calmly.

"Okay, who the hell is Eve?" Dean asked.

"Like she said, the mother of all monsters," Castiel replied. "Eve is one of the Old Ones, the demons that ruled the Earth during the Primordium Age. She created the Alphas, the first monsters of their kind, before being trapped in Purgatory ten thousand years ago."

"And how are we supposed to stop something like that?" Sam asked.

"Eve's forces are assembling in New York City. There's a Hellmouth there, the perfect place for her return."

"Hellmouth?" Bobby asked.

"A gateway to all things nasty. I tell you, it wasn't fun living on one of those. Now, if I were you, I'd get my ass over to New York and stop Eve's kiddies from bringing her back."

"You didn't answer my question," Sam said. "How? I seriously doubt we can stop something like this alone."

"Oh, don't worry," Cordelia said. "I'll be sending you guys some help."

With that, Cordelia disappeared in a flash of light, leaving the four to contemplate her words.

"So what do we do?" Sam asked.

"I say we go for it," Dean said, a look of determination creeping across his features. "I didn't save the world from Lucifer just to let some big bad monster-mama finish what he started."

Bobby shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, New York it is."

"I will meet you there," Castiel said. "There's something I need to take care of first."

With that, Castiel teleported away, while Sam, Dean, and Bobby loaded their weapons into the Impala and took off onto the road.

* * *

**Alley Behind P3, San Francisco, California  
Tuesday, March 15, 8:35 P.M.  
**

Phoebe darted in and punched Twilight in the face with all her might. The masked figure didn't even flinch, and a wave of pain rocketed up her left arm as if she just punched a steel wall.

Suppressing a hiss of pain, Phoebe withdrew her arm and regarded her bloodied knuckles with shock right before Twilight's arm shot out like a viper and grabbed her by the throat, bodily lifting her off the ground. Phoebe choked as her breath was forced from her lungs, and soon saliva was being coughed out by her with the air.

"So, these are the big bad Charmed Ones? The most powerful witches on Earth?" Twilight asked in an almost condescending tone. "Man, what a letdown."

At that moment, the wall right next to him exploded in a burst of flame, and Twilight recoiled, dropping Phoebe, who staggered off to catch her breath. As soon as her sister got far enough away, Piper flicked her wrists again, and another explosion knocked Twilight back about a foot, but that was about it.

"Again, what are you?" Piper asked in a voice full of calmed rage.

"One of the future rulers of this world," Twilight replied, the smug tone of his voice suggesting that he was smirking under the mask. "My mistress Eve is returning, and when she does, demonkind will rule this puny planet once again."

Leo cocked an eyebrow. "Eve? Where have I heard that name before?"

"She is the creator of all monsters on Earth. Her children are already making their preparations-"

Without warning, a wave of bright light filled the alley. Twilight hissed in pain as the light struck him, and suddenly took off into the skies as Leo and the sisters turned their attention to the source of the light, a familiar-looking young woman.

"Kyra?" Phoebe said in surprise.

"No, Cordelia Chase," she replied, then turned her attention to Leo. "Hello, Leo."

"Cordelia," Leo said, giving her a polite nod.

"You guys know each other?" Piper asked.

"Yeah, I met her while I was still an Elder," Leo replied. "She's one of the Powers That Be. I guess you could consider them the boss of the Elders themselves."

"So what does she want with us?" Paige asked.

"I came here to let you guys know that Twilight and Eve's forces are planning to bring her back in New York City. I've already got some friends headed there, but they need help. I know it's a bit out of your jurisdiction, but..."

Piper shrugged nonchalantly. "Hey, it's our job, remember? We just need to make some arrangements first."

* * *

**Slayer HQ, Scotland  
Tuesday, March 15, 1:35 P.M.  
**

"Anything on Twilight?" Buffy asked.

"Got nothing at all," Xander answered, "It's like this guy doesn't exist."

"Well there's gotta be something."

"Buff, we couldn't get anything on the symbol. How are we gonna get anything on the owner?"

"Okay, you've got a point"

"No luck with the Twilight researching?" Willow asked, coming into the room

"Zip, zilch, nope, nada, the big goose egg," Xander said

"Maybe I can help."

The trio whirled around to see Cordelia standing in the doorway. Buffy motioned to the several slayers who had gotten up to stand down, as Cordelia walked towards them.

"Uh, Cordelia, what are you doing here?" Xander asked, "Last I heard, you were in Los Angeles."

"So Angel didn't tell you? Figures. That sounds just like him."

"What didn't Angel tell us?" Buffy asked.

"Oh, I'm dead," Cordelia answered, "I'm just an astral projection and I've come bearing a message for you guys."

"We're all ears," Willow said.

"This Twilight guy? You can find him in New York. He's there planning to bring an Old One named Eve back and bring about Hell on Earth."

"Eve? Who's that?" Willow asked.

"An Old One, and the mother of every monster on Earth, at that. So if you want to stop this upcoming apocalypse they're planning, I suggest you head over there."

"Great, not only we have Twilight to deal with, but also this Eve character," Buffy said, "Willow, see what you can find on her."

"On it."

"No time for that," Cordelia said, "You need to head over to New York ASAP"

"Thanks for the update, Cordelia. We'll get on it."

"Yeah, you better, cause if you don't stop her, well, I guess I don't have to tell you."

"Yep, end of the world. Got it. Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

Cordelia disappeared as suddenly as she had appeared. Xander turned to Willow.

"Wow. I guess we have to listen to former Queen C and check this out."

"How do we know if that really was Cordelia?" Buffy said, "Like she said, she's dead. She can't contact us if she's dead. It's a trick."

"Oh, I don't think so," Willow said, pointing at a computer screen, "I think Cordelia was telling the truth. There is darkness growing there in New York."

"Okay, the Big Apple it is. Let's go."

* * *

**Hyperion Hotel, Los Angeles, California  
Tuesday, March 15, 9:30 PM **

Angel had just entered the lobby of the Hyperion and stopped in shock when he saw Cordelia standing there, with Spike, Gwen, Connor, Nina, Lorne, Dez, Kate, Illyria, and Laura all standing there.

"Cordelia?" Angel said in surprise, walking towards her, "What…how…huh?"

"Hey, Angel," Cordelia said with a smile, "Unfortunately, I can't stay long."

"No, don't tell me that," he said pleadingly.

"Okay, I'll tell you something else instead. There is evil rising in New York City. An Old One by the name of Eve. You guys gotta get your asses down there ASAP and stop her."

"If it's an Old One, then we're gonna need a lot more than just us." Laura said.

"No worries," Cordelia said. "I've already contacted the Scoobies, as well as two demon hunters by the names of Sam and Dean Winchester and a trio of witches, the Halliwell sisters, and they're all already on their way there. Plus, I've also made some more arrangements."

With that, Cordelia stepped aside to reveal a fully-healed, conscious Gunn, as well as a living, corporeal Wesley. Angel's jaw nearly hit the floor.

"How did you-"

"The Powers sent me to heal Gunn and bring him here, and the Senior Partners don't really want Eve muscling in on their turf, so they swallowed their pride and turned to the Powers for help. I demanded that they free Wesley from his contract and bring him back as part of the deal."

Angel gave a small smile. "Thanks, Cordy."

"No problem," Cordelia replied, returning the smile. "I'll be watching over you."

She faded away, as Angel turned to the others.

"You heard her. Let's get ready. We're leaving as soon as possible. And Wesley..." he said, grinning at his old friend. "...welcome back."

Wesley just nodded, and the group immediately set about their preparations, gathering as many weapons and clothing as they could easily carry. As soon as everyone was prepared, Angel, as an afterthought, called up the Groosalugg on his cell phone and told him of the coming battle. Groo, of course, agreed to come.

Soon enough, Groo arrived on the back of his black pegasus, accompanied by Angel's dragon, both named in honor of Cordelia. With that, Angel and the others climbed onto the back of the dragon, and took off into the skies.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

Well, the stage is set, and the different groups are all on their way to New York.

Please R&R. Until next time...


	3. Bad Future

**Chapter 2**

**- Bad Future -**

* * *

**Halliwell Manor, San Francisco, California (Twenty years later)  
Friday, April 4, 8:00 P.M.  
**

San Francisco, once the peaceful city by the bay, was now an apocalyptic battlefield roaming with monsters and demons. The Halliwell Manor, once the home of the Charmed Ones, now also served as a safe haven for humans and benevolent non-humans as well as the home base of one of the resistance factions battling Eve's forces

In the attic of the house, a meeting between the rebels was underway. At the head of the table was an aged Connor, lines creasing his face, his brown hair streaked with grey, and a black eyepatch covering his missing left eye, with visible claw marks, long since scarred over, marring the skin beyond the patch. Over the years, he had adopted his father's fashion sense, and he now stood there dressed in a black undershirt and jeans under a three-quarter length black leather coat.

Flanking him on either side were Chris, Wyatt, and Melinda Halliwell, the former now adults in their early twenties and the latter having just turned eighteen. Chris was donned in a simple brown leather jacket with a plain white undershirt and jeans, the look topped off with spiky brown hair and a slight stubble along his face, while Wyatt was donned in a simple white zip-up hoodie over a brown undershirt and black jeans. Melinda had grown into quite the looker, her face bearing more than a passing resemblance to their mother Piper. She had long brown hair tied back into a ponytail and matching eyes, and was clad in a simple white shirt over a blue denim jacket with blue jeans and red tennis shoes.

After several moments of silence, Connor bean.

"Okay, I never thought I'd say this, but there's no way we can win," he said sadly.

A chorus of collective gasps sounded at that.

"With all due respect, Connor, are you kidding?!" piped up Bianca, Chris's fiancée. "We can't just give up! Listen to yourself! If Angel were here-"

Another chorus of collective gasps sounded, and Bianca's eyes widened in shock and horror as she realized what she'd just said.

Connor's face darkened, and it looked for a moment as if he was just going to make his way over to Bianca and rip her head off with his bare hands right then and there. After a moment, however, he took a deep breath and composed himself.

"Yeah, I know, Bianca," he said calmly. "I know what Dad would say. We'd find a way, we'd never give up." At that, a tear formed down in his right eye and slid down his cheek as he turned his gaze on a ceramic urn on the shelf behind him.

"But he's gone. Buffy, Dean, Piper... they're all gone. Every day, Eve's forces get stronger, while we lose more of our own. Let's face it. At the most, we're nothing but a nuisance."

"So, what are we gonna do, Connor?" Melinda asked. "Do we just give up? Lay down and die while Eve wipes out the human race?"

Connor shook his head. "Not at all," he said. "Fighting Eve in the here and now may not be working, but thanks to an old friend, I've found another way?"

"An old friend?" Chris asked.

As if on cue, another figure, dressed in a simple hooded robe, stepped forward, having seemingly materialized out of nowhere. The figure proceeded to drop her hood to reveal the face of Willow Rosenberg. Though now in her late forties, she still appeared as youthful as in the present due to her raw magical power. However, what really caught their attention was a thick, black leather glove that covered her right hand, the glove extending to the elbow. Chris, Wyatt, and Melinda all nodded to her in respect. Willow had become somewhat of a replacement mother figure to them over the years after Piper and Leo lost their lives to Eve.

"Willow came to me a few hours ago with a spell that I believe is the key to ending the war," Connor said. Willow nodded and made her way over, taking over from there.

"From all my research, I believe that the only solution to our problem is time travel," she explained, producing a simple piece of paper with a single Latin incantation written down on it. "The plan's pretty simple: if we can't beat Eve here and now, then what we've gotta do is go back in time and stop her from ever emerging in the first place."

"Eve was freed from Purgatory in New York City near the end of 2007," Connor said. "Chris, Wyatt, Melinda, Willow and I have talked it over, and we've all agreed that you three are the ones who we're sending back."

"Us?" Chris asked, surprised. "Why us?"

"Aside from me and Willow, you three are the strongest ones here. If anyone has any chance of fixing this mess, it's you."

"But if it's not already fixed, then doesn't that mean that we failed?" Melinda asked. Willow let out an exasperated sigh.

"You really want a big lecture on the mechanics and possibilities of time travel and paradoxes?" Willow asked. "No? Then just go with it."

No sooner were those words out of Willow's mouth than her face went white. She let out a yell of pain and clutched at her gloved right arm, which began to spasm uncontrollably. Connor and the Halliwell siblings could only watch in shock as Willow tore off the glove, revealing just what she was hiding under it.

Willow's right hand had been horribly mutated. Her nails were black as a moonless night, and the skin of the hand was a bloodless white. The veins and arteries were literally bulging out from her skin, said veins extending past her elbow and beginning to snake their way up to her shoulder.

"Willow, what the hell is going on?!" Connor demanded. Willow gritted her teeth and clutched her arm, wincing, until the pain began to abate.

"I had a run in with Eve a while back," she said, looking at her mutated hand in disgust. "She did something to me. I don't know what she did or what's happening to me, but I know that I'm going dark again. I've been able to hold it off, but I can't fight it much longer."

She turned to Connor, a look of desperation on her face. "I can't go through that again, Connor," she said. "I can't end up one of Eve's slaves. I want to stay _me_."

Connor simply stared at her for a moment before gasping in realization.

"Yes," she said. "I can't fight off the corruption much longer, so I want you to kill me before I fall any further."

"No!" Melinda shrieked, rushing forward and throwing her arms around Willow's waist, hugging her tightly. "Willow, please! You can't leave! I don't want you to go!"

Willow gave Melinda a maternal look before returning the embrace, gently stroking the girl's hair. Chris and Wyatt just looked on, beginning to cry a little at the sight.

"You took me and my brothers in and gave us a home after Eve killed our parents," Melinda continued, tears squirting out of her eyes. "You're the only mom I've ever known. Willow, I'm begging you. Please, _please_ don't leave me."

After a moment's silence, Willow placed her un-mutated hand on Melinda's chin and turned her face up to she was looking her in the eye.

"Sweetie, I wish it didn't have to be this way," she said, gently wiping tears off of Melinda's face. "But you don't need me anymore. It's better this way, you'll see. Just promise me you'll go back and stop all this."

At that, Melinda broke down completely and buried her face in Willow's chest. "I promise," she said, clinging desperately to Willow. "I promise."

At that, Chris and Wyatt stepped forward, and Willow automatically grabbed them and pulled them into the embrace as well. After a few moments, the hug broke up, and Willow handed Wyatt the paper with the incantation.

"Okay," Wyatt said. "Here we go."

Wyatt held the paper out in front of him so he and his siblings could all see it, and they all read the incantation aloud:

"_Deslagrate muri tempi et intervalia!_"

As soon as the spell was recited, a massive pillar of fire burst out of the paper and coalesced in the center of the room, forming into a large, red-orange portal.

"If my calculations are correct, that portal should take you to New York right around the same time that we, our friends, and your parents did when Cordelia told us about Eve," Willow said. "Whatever it takes, please stop Eve."

They nodded, and one by one, the Halliwells entered the portal, with the portal closing up behind them. With that done, Connor looked at Bianca and the other members of the resistance. Without another word, they got to their feet and departed the attic en masse until only Connor and Willow were left.

Steeling himself to fulfill Willow's final request, Connor made his way to the weapons cabinet, where he produced the Slayer Scythe, having been left there after Buffy's demise. He made his way back over to Willow, and held the large stake-end of the Scythe to Willow's heart.

"Whatever happens, it's been a privilege working with you, Will," Connor said, a few tears breaking through his stony countenance.

Willow gave him a bittersweet smile. "I've send your regards to Angel when I see him."

Connor nodded, and with one powerful thrust, ran Willow through completely with the Scythe.

* * *

**Author's Note:  
**

So, yeah, this chapter was more or less just an excuse for me to bring future Chris, Wyatt, and Melinda into the story.

_Deslagrate muri tempi et intervalia_ is a Latin phrase that roughly translates to "Burn down the walls of space and time." I got it from the old Disney show _Gargoyles_; it was the phrase they used to activate the Phoenix Gate.

Please R&R. Until next time...


	4. Enter New York

**Chapter 3  
**

**- Enter New York -**

* * *

**Cleveland, Ohio (Present Day)  
Tuesday, March 15, 10:30 PM**

Faith sat on the edge of a small building, slowly smoking her cigarette. She was still based in Cleveland following the whole Lady Savidge incident. Giles was living in England still, often giving her orders from there via phone or Robin Wood. Apart from them, she was cut off from everyone else. No doubt Buffy had told everyone about their last fight, during which Faith had nearly drowned her. Oh well, not that it mattered much to her. It was Buffy's loss, really. She had been quick to jump to conclusions, as always, instead of hearing Faith's side of the story.

Blowing out one last puff of smoke, Faith ground her cigarette out on the edge of the rooftop and flicked the butt away before jumping off the building. Landing without fail, she began the walk back to her apartment as she continued thinking about the last few weeks. It didn't take too long before she sensed a presence behind her and stopped in her tracks.

_I'm not alone, it seems... Good. A decent fight is just what I need to cool off._

She waited. A second ticked by.

Then another.

And another.

Faith reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out her combat knife, the same knife that Mayor Wilkins had given to her as a gift so long ago. Poising herself for an attack, she whirled around with Slayer-speed and slashed out in front of her-

-only to slice into empty air. No one was behind her. Nonetheless, her instincts were still screaming that something wasn't right, and she knew better than to argue with her instincts.

_I know somebody's there. C'mon, quit screwing around, pal..._

"Yoo-hoo!"

A man's voice, cheerful and in singsong, reached her ears. Every muscle in Faith's body automatically tightened, but she just stood there, not even bothering to turn around.

"Y'know, being stalked isn't the best way to get chicks, pal," she said calmly. "Not that I'm looking for anyone at the moment."

The voice chuckled, and then, without warning, the owner of said voice suddenly appeared right in front of her in a puff of smoke. Faith jumped back in surprise and just barely managed to keep falling on her butt. Composing herself, Faith got a good look at the man.

He was human_oid_, but clearly not human. He was tall and well-built, his physique matching Angel's. Dark blue veins marked his pale face, his hair was a deep bluish-black, his ears were slightly pointed, and his eyes were gold with black sclerae.

His attire was just as shocking. He wore a dressed in a black-and-silver striped turtleneck sweater and dark blue denim pants underneath a dark green trench coat with black-and-silver striped interior lining that matched his shirt. He also wore a navy blue fedora on his head and a pair of translucent blue sunglasses, along with knee high black leather boots and black fingerless leather gloves. To complete the look, he bore a bizarre red symbol on the chest of his sweater, said symbol appearing to be a pole with a horizontal triangle protruding from the middle. Faith vaguely remembered seeing such a symbol in an old horror movie, but couldn't remember exactly which one offhand.

The man grinned, revealing enlarged canines reminiscent of a vampire's, before tipping his fedora and bowing in mock politeness.

"Pleasure to meet you, Faith Lehane," he said. "I'm Ozzy Krueger."

"Didn't really ask who you were, but whatever," Faith remarked, totally deadpan. "You seem to know quite a bit about me, but I can't say the same."

"I'm here to give you a message on the behalf of the Mother of All."

"Mother of all what?" Faith asked, refusing to let her guard down.

"Why, the mother of all monsters, of course," Ozzy said. "She's coming back."

"Oookay," Faith said. "And why exactly should I give a rat's ass?"

"You're a Slayer, aren't you? Always itching for a good fight? Well, if you want one, come on down to New York City. We could use you on our side."

"Oh, I don't think so."

And with that, Faith sprang forward, her knife slicing through the air. Ozzy calmly raised his left arm, and Faith promptly sliced clean through his wrist, his severed left hand falling and hitting the ground with a wet _plop_, flexing on the ground for several seconds before laying still like a dead spider.

Thick dark blue liquid oozed from his stump, while Ozzy simply hissed as if it smarted no more than a paper cut. Faith's triumphant smirk quickly faded to a confused frown as Ozzy continued grinning and simply tugged his coat sleeve over his bloody stump, while his left hand melted down into black goo and evaporated.

"What the hell are you?" Faith asked, raising her knife again.

"Come on down to New York," Ozzy retorted. "You'll find the answer there."

And with that, Ozzy, cradling his injured arm, stepped back into the shadows of the alley and was gone just as suddenly as he appeared, leaving Faith alone with her thoughts. She looked at the knife, still stained with the blue bile of Ozzy's blood.

"New York, huh?"

* * *

**Halliwell Manor, San Francisco, California  
Tuesday, March 15, 10:30 PM  
**

Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Leo stood on the porch of the Halliwell Manor with their suitcases, saying final goodbyes to Victor and the children.

"I'm sorry for bringing this on you on such short notice, Dad, but it's urgent," Piper explained. "Thank you."

Victor waved a hand, dismissing it. "Don't worry about it, honey. I understand. Just come back alive."

"We will, Dad," Phoebe said.

Victor hugged the girls and shook Leo's hand, while Piper quickly pulled Wyatt and Chris into a tight hug.

"We'll be back as soon as we can, boys," Piper said, tears forming in her eyes. "Be good for Grandpa, okay?"

Piper reluctantly released her sons and wiped her eyes.

"Okay, Paige," she said. "Let's do it."

Paige nodded, and the four gathered together. Paige closed her eyes in concentration, and the quartet vanished in a swarm of light orbs, off to New York.

Through it all, they were unaware that they were being watched from the shadows by Castiel and Cordelia. After several minutes, the two vanished to the sound of flapping wings.

* * *

**Cathedral Mausoleum, San Francisco, California  
Tuesday, March 15, 10:30****PM  
**

Cordelia and Castiel materialized into existence within the Cathedral Mausoleum, right in front of a specific plaque.

"I'm still not sure where I stand on this, Cordelia," Castiel said in his usual cool and collected manner. "She was in Heaven. If we tear her soul out from there and funnel it back into her body, there's nothing to say that she won't end up depressed or crazy like Buffy Summers did."

"Both the Powers and the Big Guy himself were clear on this, Cas," Cordelia said, her tone of voice clearly stating that she did not exactly enjoy any part of it herself. "Buffy, Angel, the Winchesters, and the Halliwells are gonna need all the help they can get. Even the Power of Three won't be enough to stop Eve if she gets out. But a Power of Four just might be the edge we need."

Cordelia raised her hand, holding a small, glowing orb much like an Orb of Thesulah.

"Besides, I've already got the soul right here, so there's not much we can do about it. Let's just get this over with and get her to New York."

Castiel sighed. "Very well." With that, they turned their attention to the plaque. Castiel drew back his fist and punched clean through the headstone, shattering it. Gripping the coffin within, Castiel pulled it out with ease, set it gently on the floor, and opened the case, revealing the decayed corpse within.

Cordelia grimaced at the smell and handed the soul-orb to Castiel. After a brief moment of hesitation, he crushed the orb in his hand, and bright white wisps of energy funneled out from his fist and into the body. Within seconds, the dead and decaying flesh on the corpse immediately freshened, organs reformed, and the heart began beating again as the process of decomposition was reversed.

Bright green eyes shot wide open, and the revived girl, clad in the old white gown she had been buried in, took in a massive gasp of air and bolted up, looking around in a slight frenzy before calming down and meeting the eyes of Cordelia and Castiel.

"What...where am I?" she said. "What's going on?"

For the first time in five years, Prue Halliwell walked the Earth again.

* * *

**Manhattan, New York City, New York  
Tuesday, March 15, 10:30 PM  
**

The Impala rumbled to a stop outside of the motel, as Sam, Dean, and Bobby got out and looked around.

"So, New York, huh? Haven't been here in years," Dean said.

"Why was that again?" Sam asked.

"Dad was tracking some powerful demon, thought he might be connected to Azazel. It was moving from town to town. Turned out to just be some low-level black-eyed demon. Dad took him down."

"Flash-forward to now, and we've got a big bad monster mama waiting behind the scenes," Bobby remarked.

"Yup. No rest for the wicked."

Dean led the way to the reception desk, where he booked a room for two, with Bobby booking his own room, before unloading the car and heading into their respective rooms.

"Nice place," Dean said, looking around. "Shotgun the shower."

"Yeah, whatever," Sam replied. "I'm gonna do some research."

With that, Sam unpacked his laptop and loaded it up while Dean headed into the bathroom.

* * *

**Flushing, Queens, New York  
Tuesday, March 15, 10:30 PM **

Leo and the Halliwells orbed into view in the midst of the Flushing neighborhood of Queens.

"Okay, first things first," Piper said. "We've gotta find a place to stay or something."

Everyone else nodded, and the group walked down the streets until they found a motel, where they went in and booked two rooms for two. The four went into the room booked for Piper and Leo.

"So what's the plan, Piper?" Paige asked.

"As soon as we get settled in, we hit some of the demon pubs, see if anyone's heard anything about Eve or this Twilight character," Piper said. "The sooner we know, the better."

"Sounds like a plan," Phoebe said, stifling a yawn. "As soon as I get some coffee."

* * *

**Manhattan, New York City, New York  
Tuesday, March 15, 10:30 PM **

Cordelia, Angel's dragon, touched down in the midst of Central Park, with Groo's winged horse, also named Cordelia, close behind it. Angel and the others quickly jumped off. With that, Spike turned to Angel.

"Why did you bring the dragon?" he asked. "Where the bloody hell are we gonna hide him?"

Angel looked at him. "Don't worry, Spike. I'm sure there are plenty of places for Cordelia to hide. Besides, after the Fall went national, I don't really think it's that big of a deal."

Spike shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever, just hide him. First, we gotta find a place to stay."

Angel whispered something to the dragon, with Groo doing the same to his horse, and the two took off into the sky, disappearing from sight. The group then started walking along the streets of New York, noticing that there weren't many people about. Angel shrugged it off, taking the gang to a motel and booking out a few rooms. Spike stopped when he noticed a particular car outside.

"Hey, check out the car over there," Spike said, "Very nice. 67 Chevrolet Impala."

"They're very nice, aren't they?" Gwen asked.

"Sure are. I used to own one. Until I smashed it racing against a Grappler demon. God, I'll never live that one down."

He entered a room with Connor and Angel, as Gwen, Nina, Illyria, and Laura went into another, Lorne went with Groo, Gunn, and Wesley into a third, and Kate and Dez entering a fourth.

"Okay, first things first," Angel said, "as soon as we get some rest, we'll head out and see if we can dig up any info on Eve. Could've made some early waves, I don't know, but the sooner we know about her, the better."

"Consider it done," Spike said. "After we get some rest, of course."

"Fair enough," said Connor.

* * *

**Flushing, Queens, New York  
Tuesday, March 15, 11:30 PM  
**

The plane slid down the runway and parked at LaGuardia Airport, as Buffy, Willow, Xander, Dawn, Renee, Satsu, and several other Slayers stepped off en masse.

Without a word, the group got onto a taxi van.

"The nearest motel, please," Xander told the driver.

"No problem."

He took off from the airport as Buffy stared out the window and watched the city go by. It was a ten-minute drive to the nearest motel, where the group booked out a few rooms and unpacked their bags. Buffy placed the Scythe next to her bed, as well as a dagger under her pillow for precaution.

"Okay, as soon as we're settled in, we need to hit the streets," she said. "Get any info on Twilight and/or Eve. Let's hit all the local demon hangouts."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Willow agreed.

* * *

**Faith's House, Cleveland, Ohio  
Tuesday, March 15, 10:30 PM  
**

"So, this Ozzy Krueger character attacked you out of nowhere and told you to come to New York?" Giles asked.

Faith nodded. "Yep. That's about the size and shape of it."

Faith and Robin Wood were gathered in Faith's living room. Faith had telephoned Giles to inform him of Ozzy's message, and had put the phone on speaker for both her and Robin to hear what he had to say.

"How do we know he wasn't just trying to screw with your head?" Robin asked. "The guy seemed a couple peas short of a pod."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that," Giles said. "I've heard and read some things about this 'Mother of All' that he mentioned. Vampires, half-breed demons, werewolves... she's had a hand with all of their creations. Eventually, the Powers That Be stepped in and banished her to Purgatory."

"Purgatory?" Faith said incredulously. "As in the big white void Christian Purgatory?"

"Of a sort," Giles said. "Every vampire and demon you've ever slain. Have you ever thought about what happens to them when they die?"

Faith was silent for a moment. "No, not really."

"Purgatory is the final destination for the souls of all monsters when they die," Giles explained. "Upon their passing, their souls are automatically sent directly to Purgatory, where they are fated to hunt and prey upon each other for all eternity."

Robin whistled. "Damn. And I thought Hell was a bad place."

"If she is coming back, then we need to get to New York ASAP," Giles said. "I can arrange for you two to fly out there right away."

"Just the two of us?" Robin asked. "Shouldn't we call Buffy?"

Giles was silent for a moment. "Unfortunately, no. At the moment, Buffy and I have fallen out of speaking terms. We won't call her in until we absolutely need it. I'll be there on the first flight."

Faith shrugged. "Fair enough. Let's get going."

* * *

**Author's Note:  
**

Well, the various gangs are now all in or on their way to New York.

And before anyone asks, yes, I planned on having Prue resurrected from the beginning of the story. Other characters might return, but I won't spoil anything.

Furthermore, in case anyone hasn't figured it out already, the symbol on Ozzy's chest is the Mark of Thorn from Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. I even added a reference in Faith's section of this chapter.

Next chapter, our heroes go out info-hunting, and quite a few cross paths.

Please R&R. Until next time...


	5. Bar Brawl

**Chapter 4  
**

**- Bar Brawl -**

* * *

**Sam and Dean's Motel Room, Manhattan, New York  
Tuesday, March 15, 11:30 PM****  
**

Dean had just stepped out of the bathroom, dressed in a fresh set of clothes, as Sam finished up his research.

"Huh, how about that?" Sam remarked.

"How about what?" Dean asked.

"It says here that New York City is built upon a Hellmouth."

"And what in hell is that?" Dean asked, recalling Cordelia mentioning a Hellmouth.

"A focus point of mystic energy. Evil entities are drawn to it and opening one can unleash hell on the world, hence the name."

"Great," Dean said sarcastically. "As if we didn't have enough to deal with."

"Which makes this a perfect place for Eve to emerge," Sam replied. "I think the two of us should go hit up any demon hangouts, see if we can find anything out."

"Demon hangouts?" Dean asked incredulously. "Asking demons for information? Didn't you learn anything from what happened with Ruby, Sammy? Demons are nothing but trouble. You can't trust them. Period."

With that, he sat down at the table and began checking over his weapons.

"Either way, they could give us info on Eve," Sam pressed, refusing to be argued out of his position.

"You didn't hear a word I said, did you?" Dean asked, not even bothering to look up. "Not gonna repeat myself, 'cause I know you won't listen."

Sam simply closed his laptop and got to his feet.

"Well, you can be stubborn all you want, Dean," he replied. "If you need me, I'll be looking for information."

Dean simply waved a hand at him and continued checking his inventory.

* * *

**Willy's Place, Manhattan, New York  
Tuesday, March 15, 11:45 PM  
**

Buffy, Willow, Xander, and Satsu were standing right outside a bar with a large neon sign reading "Willy's Place."

"Willy?" Buffy asked, more to herself than anyone else. "As in Willy the Snitch?"

"Haven't heard anything from or about him since he split Sunnydale," Xander remarked.

"A friend of yours?" Satsu cut in. Buffy laughed.

"Not quite," she replied, cracking her knuckles. "Well, let's go in and say hi."

With that, the four casually entered the bar. Sure, enough, at the bar was a mousy-looking human whom Buffy and Xander both recognized as Willy the Snitch.

"Willy!" Buffy exclaimed in a mock-cheerful tone. "Long time no see, old buddy."

Willy turned in her direction and immediately turned pale.

"Oh, no! It's _you_!" he spat. "I thought I'd seen the last of you and your pals after I left Sunny-D!"

"Small world, I suppose," Willow replied. "We're looking for information. Eve, big monster mama. Heard anything?"

"And what makes you think that I'd just give anything to you willingly?" Willy deadpanned. However, several demonic patrons had overheard the conversation and immediately stepped in.

"You must think you're some high and mighty bitch, Slayer," a hulking Grappler demon spat. "None of you are worthy to speak the name of our beloved Mother!"

"With all the monster lives you've taken, the Mother will have your heads on a plate." a Spider demon hissed.

"I _had_ hoped it wouldn't come to this," Buffy said casually.

She quickly grabbed a chair and smashed it over the Grappler's head, and the situation detonated as a massive bar brawl broke out. The Spider demon gestured one of her hands in a Spider-Man style gesture, and Satsu just barely managed to dodge a line of webbing fired at her before grabbing the webline and jerking the Spider demon toward her, punching her in the face and tossing her aside. Willow conjured a small force field to deflect a table thrown at her, while Buffy drew a sword and chopped the Grappler demon's head off. The Spider demon was just about to attack again when it suddenly exploded in a burst of flame. All fighting ceased, and Satsu looked at Willow incredulously.

"Wasn't me," she said, looking just as confused.

"It was me."

Everyone turned to the door to see Piper, Leo, Phoebe, and Paige all standing there in a group.

"It's them!" a vampire hissed. "The Charmed Ones!" With that, every vampire and demon in the place quickly scuttled back to their seats and continued doing what they were doing before Buffy arrived, all of them knowing that picking a fight with the Slayer and the Charmed Ones at the same time was definitely suicide.

"Charmed Ones?" Buffy asked. "Never heard of 'em."

"Well, we've heard of you, Buffy Summers," Piper replied, stepping forward and extending a hand. "I'm Piper Halliwell. These are my sisters, Phoebe and Paige, and my husband Leo." Buffy stared at Piper suspiciously for a moment before cautiously shaking her hand.

"You know who I am?" she asked. Leo cut in at that moment.

"Of course!" he said. "You're the Slayer who watched over that festering rat's nest they called Sunnydale, and activated all of the Potential Slayers all over the world three years ago. Word travels fast in the magical community."

"I take it you guys are here to deal with this Eve chick too?" Willow asked. Piper nodded.

At that moment, the pub door opened and Sam walked in. He looked around the place, seeing the beheaded Grappler demon and damaged furniture, and raised an eyebrow as he walked towards the bar. Faith looked him up and down, before shrugging it off, as Buffy stepped back.

"I'm looking for a guy named Willy the Snitch." Sam said to them.

"That would be him over there," Willow said, jerking a thumb at Willy.

Willy scowled and then made a break for the door, and that was when Angel marched in, flanked by Wesley, Connor, and Gunn, shoving Willy back into a chair.

"Angel?" Buffy, Willow, and Xander said at the same time. "Wesley?" Angel looked back at them for a minute.

"So Cordelia did send you guys here too," he said.

"Hold it!" Paige said. "You mean Cordelia Chase? She came to us as well."

"She came to me and my brother too," Sam said. "I'm Sam Winchester, by the way."

"Nice to meet you," everyone else said in unison.

"So, Cordy gathered us all here to fight Eve?" Xander said. "Wow, this must be one doozy of a Big Bad we've gotta take down."

"Okay, time out!" Phoebe cut in. "Why don't we all just get the hell out of here and discuss things somewhere else, say, more private?"

With that, she moved towards the door, grabbing Willy by the ear on the way out. Buffy and Angel exchanged a look before going after her, as Willow, Xander, Satsu, Connor, Wesley, Gunn, Piper, Paige, Leo, and Sam followed them outside. When they got outside, Phoebe was already in the process of interrogating Willy; he was lying flat on his back on the ground with Phoebe's boot planted on the left side of his face while he tried in vain to pry it off.

"Okay, pal," she said. "Start talking. What do you know about Twilight and/or Eve?" Buffy, Willow, and Xander exchanged a look. So Phoebe and her sisters had been in contact with this Twilight character as well.

"What's in it for me, sweet cheeks?" Willy shot back. Phoebe scowled, and then quickly knelt down in a way so that her kneecap smashed into his face. Willy quickly dropped his bravado at that.

"All right, all right! I'll talk!"

"I knew you would," Phoebe said in a polite tone before slowly taking her foot off of Willy's face. Willy sat up, and just began to open his mouth when a new voice cut in.

"Now, now, Willy. You know what Twilight and I do to snitches around here."

Willy looked in the direction of the new voice, and turned deathly white. The front of his pants turned a darker shade of brown as he wet himself, and Phoebe and the others backed away in disgust before turning in the direction of the voice as well. A cloud of smoke appeared, and from it, Ozzy Krueger emerged. He now wore a fingered black leather glove over his left hand.

"You again," Angel spat. Ozzy tipped his fedora and grinned.

"Ah, Angel, how nice to see you again," he then turned to the others. "Ozzy Krueger, at your service."

"The pleasure's all yours," Piper said.

"So, what's with the fashion change?" Angel asked, noting his two different gloves.

"Oh, I dropped by Cleveland to talk with your friend Faith," he said, beginning to pull off the glove. "She took my hand. But it's cool." He pulled the glove off completely and grinned. "I'm growing a new one."

The group recoiled at the sight of the hand. It was wet and coated in blue, skinless muscle.

"What the hell are you?" Buffy asked, readying her crossbow.

"You'll know soon enough, Miss Summers," Ozzy replied as he pulled his glove back on. "But Willy, I suggest you don't play the snitch this time unless you want Master Twilight after you."

Willy quickly nodded, and got to his feet and dashed back in the pub. Buffy and the others were too busy focusing on Ozzy to notice or even care.

"Well, kids, I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got places to destroy, people to kill."

With that, Ozzy poofed away in another cloud of smoke before anyone could react.

"Yep." Buffy said, breaking the silence. "Things are pretty bad." After a moment, Angel cut in.

"My team and I are staying at a motel in Manhattan," he said. "We can all exchange notes there. You'll know it by the Impala in front of it."

"Impala?" Sam asked. "That must be my brother Dean's. Wow, you guys are staying at the same motel as us."

"Whatever, let's just hurry," Piper said. "There's no telling how much time we have before Twilight tries to raise Eve."

* * *

**Author's Note:  
**

Well, next chapter, Faith and Prue will be making their own ways to New York, and then the gang will all be there!

Please R&R. Until next time...


	6. Arrivals Complete

**Chapter 5  
**

**- Arrivals Complete -**

* * *

**P3, San Francisco, California  
Tuesday, March 15, 11:45 PM **

Prue, donned in a simple black sweatshirt and blue jeans over a black leather jacket and matching shoes, stood silently outside the doors of P3, the closed sign on the door clear as day. Cordelia and Castiel had brought her up to speed on what was going down and why they had resurrected her, but Prue had declined to be teleported to New York straightaway, instead wanting some time to adjust to walking the Earth again. Though that time was to be cut short.

"Ah, the infamous Prudence Halliwell," a man's voice said. "I must say, you look good for being dead."

Prue whirled around to come face to face with Ozzy. He tipped his hat and bowed.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Oswald Krueger. My friends call me Ozzy."

"Good for you," Prue said sardonically. She could practically _smell_ the demon on this guy.

"Not quite, hon," Ozzy said randomly.

"What are you-" Prue said in surprise, but Ozzy cut her off.

"I heard your thoughts. You said you can 'practically smell the demon on me,' but you're a bit off. I'm not a demon. Let's just say I'm... something else."

"I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that you're working for this Eve character that I've heard about?" Prue said, readying herself for some kind of attack.

"Lucky guess." Ozzy replied. Prue gave a small smirk.

"That's all I needed to know."

With that, Prue thrust her left hand forward, palm outstretched, and Ozzy was sent flying back by her telekinetic blast, slamming into the wall. He got up, more amused than hurt, and laughed.

"Nice try, but it's gonna take a lot more than that to hurt me, Prue," he said. "See you in New York."

As soon as the last sentence was out of his mouth, Ozzy stepped into the shadows of the alley and was gone. Prue heard the sound of flapping wings, and didn't even have to turn to see that Castiel had warped in behind her.

"Cas," she said, slowly turning around. "I'm ready."

Castiel simply nodded, placed a hand on her shoulder, and warped away, taking Prue with him.

* * *

**Sam and Dean's Motel Room, Manhattan, New York  
Wednesday, March 16, 12:10 AM  
**

Dean had just finished checking his arsenal as Sam walked in.

"So, find any info?" Dean asked in a sarcastic tone as Sam sat down.

"Actually, yes," Sam replied. "We have allies here, the help that Cordelia mentioned."

"Really? And they are?"

"A few Slayers, namely Buffy Summers. This guy named Angel. And these three witches who they called the Charmed Ones."

Dean took on a thoughtful look as he got up.

"Do you have any idea who we're working with here?" he asked. "Haven't you listened to the news?"

"What about it?" Sam asked.

"Buffy Summers is a terrorist. The news has gone on for quite a while about how she and her buddies nuked the city of Sunnydale, California off the face of the Earth. Of course, that's what the government says."

"And you believe that?" Sam retorted. Dean scoffed.

"Of course not. We don't exactly have the best rep with the FBI ourselves, y'know. It's pretty surreal for me. I've run into Slayers before on some of my outings with Dad, but I never thought I'd meet _the_ Buffy Summers in the flesh."

"Well, it turns out Angel and his crew are booked in this motel too," Sam said. "I came back here to get you and Bobby so we could get the meeting underway."

Dean shrugged and got to his feet. "Okay, fine."

"Any word on Cas yet?" Sam asked. Dean shook his head.

"No, but I'm pretty sure he'll turn up sooner or later."

* * *

**Central Park, Manhattan, New York  
Wednesday, March 16, 12:10 AM  
**

The silence and tranquility of Central Park was quickly broken when a small spark of flame appeared, which soon formed into a large fireball in the center of the park. The fireball dissipated as soon as it appeared, and Chris, Wyatt, and Melinda emerged from it.

"Okay, so Mom, Dad, Connor, and the others should be somewhere in the city," Chris said. "Shouldn't be too hard to find them."

"Let's find a decent place to scry for them," Melinda said.

With that, the three siblings made their way out of the park, unaware that Ozzy was watching them from the shadows...

* * *

**Flushing, Queens, New York  
Tuesday, March 16, 12:10 AM  
**

Faith, Giles, and Robin exited the plane with their luggage as Giles snapped his cell phone closed.

"Well, I just got off the phone with Buffy," he said. "As it turns out, she and the others already got wind of Eve and Twilight and are already here. They're staying in a motel not too far from here."

"I thought you were gonna wait to contact B unless it was an absolute last resort," Faith said. Giles shrugged.

"I changed my mind," Giles replied patiently. "We don't know who or what we're up against."

"Probably for the best," Robin said.

"As it turns out, Angel and his crew have also learned of Eve and are here in the city as well. Buffy and the others are meeting with them in a motel in Manhattan."

"Angel's here too?" Faith said, surprised. "Damn. Must be a big-time apocalypse for both the Scoobies and Angel's crew to consider a superhero team up."

"Let's just worry about stopping Eve for now, shall we?" Giles said, raising his hand to hail a cab.

* * *

**Angel's Motel, Manhattan, New York  
Wednesday, March 16, 12:45 AM  
**

By the time Giles, Faith, and Robin arrived at Angel's motel, they found the entire lobby packed with the assorted groups, except for a few Slayers. Spike, Illyria, and Nina were in the lounge chair, with Connor, Gwen, and Dawn attempting to get food and drinks out of the vending machines. Angel, Buffy, Willow, and Xander were sitting near the front desk discussing their current problem, Sam and Dean were calmly leaning against the wall with their arms folded across their chests, Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Leo were chatting amongst themselves, and Groo, Bobby, Wesley, and Lorne were busy trying out different drinks. Buffy looked up and gave a small smile as she saw Giles, getting to her feet.

"Hello, Buffy," Giles said. "I trust you're not very happy to see me." Buffy shook her head and hugged him.

"No, I'm glad you're here," she said as Giles returned the hug. "We could really use your help."

As she pulled away, she took note of Faith and Robin.

"Hello, Faith," she said calmly. "Hey, Robin." Both nodded back. Faith stepped forward, immediately putting Buffy on the defensive.

"Look, B, I know things are kinda tense between us right now..."

"Tense?!" Buffy echoed. Everyone looked up at that. "Why would I be tense? Would it be because the last time we met, you tried to shove me down a pool drain?!"

"That was your _own_ fault!" Faith spat, getting in Buffy's face. "You jumped to conclusions and didn't even bother to hear _my_ side of the story like you always do! I was working with Giles undercover to take down Lady Savidge because she was planning to kill you! Whether you like it or not, Buffy, I saved your worthless butt!"

"Oh, and _that_ makes it okay for you to try to kill me?" Buffy snarled. The situation was a powder keg. It looked like they were about to come to blows any minute.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, _hey_!" Angel shouted, cutting in between the two feuding Slayers and forcibly pushing them apart. "Look, I know you two don't really get along, but whatever's going on here, you can save it until after we stop the latest apocalypse, okay?!"

After a few tense seconds, Buffy and Faith composed themselves. "Fine," they both said simultaneously.

"Have they _always_ been at each other's throats like this?" Piper asked Willow. Willow sighed.

"You have _no_ idea," she replied.

At that moment, Giles looked around and saw the Winchesters and Halliwells.

"Hello," he said to them. "I don't believe we've met."

"I'm Dean Winchester, and this is my little brother Sam," Dean said, gesturing to both himself and Sam.

"I'm Piper Halliwell, and these are my sisters Paige and Phoebe and my husband Leo Wyatt," Piper said, following Dean's example. At that moment, Giles looked over and saw Spike.

"Spike?" he said, surprised to see the blond vampire again. "The last time I saw you, you were burned to death back in Sunnydale."

"I got better," Spike replied, obviously having heard this before. "Which reminds me, Buffy, you seem to be taking me still being alive in stride."

"I actually found out on my own," Buffy said. A chorus of collective gasps sounded at that. "Thanks in part to Dana."

"Dana?" Angel said. "That psycho-Slayer that you sent Andrew Wells to help me with? The one who chopped off Spike's hands?"

"The same," Buffy replied. "We've been trying our best to help her. She's still plenty screwed up, but she's healing. She mentioned fighting a British vampire with platinum blonde hair who was wearing a black leather coat. Didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who she was talking about. By the way, Piper, Sam, Dean, everyone else, this is Faith Lehane, Robin Wood, and Rupert Giles. Faith is another Slayer, Robin's the son of one of my predecessors, and Giles is my Watcher."

"Hi, how ya doing?" several people said.

"I was doing just fine until some crazy guy named Ozzy Krueger showed up in Cleveland and told me about what was happening here," Faith remarked.

"We ran into him here too," Buffy said. "He told us you cut off his hand."

"That I did, B." Faith replied.

"He's growing it back, though," Willow said.

"Well, damn."

"Anyway, Giles is the one who taught me," Buffy said. "He's an expert demonologist."

"Excuse me?" Wesley piped up. Giles turned to face his fellow former Watcher.

"Wesley? I haven't seen you since the Ascension. How have you been?"

"Dead, but got resurrected. Yourself?"

"Retired. Partially actually."

"Okay, now that we're all introduced," Dean said, "let's get this show on the road-"

At that moment, however, Castiel materialized in the middle of the lobby. Taken by surprise, Buffy, Angel, and Piper's respective groups all drew their weapons, but Dean calmly raised his hands in a "take it easy" gesture.

"Don't worry, guys, he's cool," he said. Buffy looked Castiel over.

"And you are?" she asked.

"My name is Castiel. I am an angel of the Lord."

"An angel?" Angel remarked. "Okay, I'm feeling the competition." Castiel shot his icy stare at him.

"And you're the vampire Angel, champion of the Powers That Be."

"Vampire?" Leo asked. "Now I remember where I heard the names Angel and Spike before. Angelus and William the Bloody, the two most evil vampires ever recorded. You two have an entry in the Book of Shadows!"

"I see our reputations precede us," Angel deadpanned.

"Those were the old days," Spike said, sensing that the Halliwells, and possibly the Winchesters, were readying to attack them. "We have souls now. We're on your side."

"They don't really seem to fit the bill of big bad evil vamps, guys," Paige said.

"In any event," Castiel said, "I brought you all some more help."

With that, he stepped aside to reveal who he had brought with him. Piper and Phoebe's jaws nearly hit the floor.

"Prue?!"

* * *

**Author's Note:  
**

Well, that's done.

And seriously people, I've written five chapters already and haven't even gotten a single review?! C'mon!

Please R&R. Until next time...


	7. Reunion

**Chapter 6  
**

**- Reunion -**

* * *

**Angel's Motel, Manhattan, New York  
Wednesday, March 16, 12:45 AM  
**

Piper stepped forward, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Prue?" she whispered, her voice cracking. "Is it really you?" Prue gave a small smile.

"Yeah," she said. "It's me."

Piper reached out to her elder sister, gingerly touching her cheek. Convinced that she wasn't a hallucination, Piper pulled Prue into a bone-crushing hug, sobbing with joy, and Phoebe quickly joined in. Everyone else just stood there and watched the scene pan out. After several minutes, the three sisters composed themselves and broke away.

"So, you guys have another sister?" Buffy asked, utterly confused. Prue nodded.

"Yeah," she said. "I was killed by the demon Shax five years ago."

"Shax?" Giles asked. "I've heard of him. A powerful assassin and wind demon."

"Well, he's toast now," Piper spat, the mere mention of Shax darkening her mood. "That son of a bitch took out Prue, so we took him out right back."

"So, I'm assuming that Castiel here was the one who brought you back?" Angel asked. Prue nodded.

"Him and some girl named Cordelia." Another chorus of collective gasps sounded at that.

"Cordelia? As in Cordelia Chase?" Xander asked incredulously. "She appeared before us too."

"And us." Dean said. The Halliwells and A.I. said the same.

"And even with all of us assembled here, they brought you back from the dead to help?" Spike asked. "Wow. Guess the PTB don't have a lot of bloody confidence in us."

"Make no mistake, Spike, the Powers That Be and my father have the utmost confidence in all of you," Castiel cut in. "But Eve is, as some of you may put it, one tough customer. Even the Power of Three won't be enough to stop her should she return to full power."

"Power of Three what?" Connor asked. Leo cut in at that moment.

"The Power of Three. The most powerful form of magic that can, has, and will ever exist. It's what gives the Charmed Ones - Piper, Phoebe, and Paige - their power."

"Well, not to toot my own horn, but I'm pretty good at the mojo myself." Willow said.

"They brought me back because they thought a 'Power of Four' might be just what we need to tip the scales in our favor," Prue explained. "If we win, I'll be brought back full time, and the Powers will let me live out my natural life before Shax killed me with no catch, no plot, no strings attached."

"Wait a minute," Leo said. "Melinda Warren _never_ foresaw a Power of Four. Prue and Paige both share the same power. There's no telling what's gonna happen here."

"Leo, we don't really have much of a choice," Piper replied.

"Um, excuse me?" Gunn said. "How 'bout you bring us all up to speed on what the hell you're talking about?"

"Sure, why not?" Prue said, elbowing a place at the table where Willow, Xander, and Angel were sitting. "We've got the time."

* * *

**Abandoned Warehouse, Manhattan, New York  
Wednesday, March 16, 12:45 AM  
**

Chris, Wyatt, and Melinda sat in a circle around a map of New York City, with Chris using a scrying crystal to search for their parents.

"Y'know, Connor and Willow could've made this a hell of a lot easier for us by actually telling us where they were before they sent us back," Melinda muttered to herself.

"Where would the fun in that be?"

"Well-" Melinda began before realizing that the comment did not come from either of her brothers.

The three whirled in the direction of the voice to see Twilight hovering over the floor just a few feet away, and immediately leapt to their feet, ready for a fight.

"And you are?" Chris asked.

"The name is Twilight. I am a loyal servant of Eve."

"You work for that bitch?!" Melinda screamed. She took a step forward, and would have just charged forward and attacked him directly had Wyatt not grabbed and restrained her first.

"You would be wise to mind your blasphemous tongue, child," Twilight said, remaining calm and collected. "I'm well aware that you three came back in time to stop my mistress from rising."

"How could you possibly know that?" Wyatt demanded.

"I have my sources. The point is, I'm in a merciful mood right now. If you three simply go back to where you came from right now, I'll let you live. If not... well, we'll talk about that later."

Chris tilted his head to the side in thought. After a moment, he replied casually, with more than a little bite in his statement, "Y'know, I can't think of a single good reason why we should do anything you say."

"Is that your final answer?" Twilight asked. "Very well. But before I go, tell me one thing: are you aware of the butterfly effect?"

"Yeah," Melinda said sarcastically. "It was a good movie."

"Not that. The butterfly effect is the concept of which changing any small thing in the past could drastically alter the future in ways you can't predict. Time travel is dangerous. By just being here, you may very well cause more havoc and destruction than you're trying to prevent."

"Thanks for the advice," Chris shot back, obviously unconcerned. "Now beat it."

Twilight sighed. "Very well," he said. "But remember: the next time we meet, you won't be so lucky."

With that, Twilight shot up into the air, smashing through the ceiling in the process, and was gone.

* * *

**Angel's Motel, Manhattan, New York  
Wednesday, March 16, 12:45 AM **

"So, how long have you guys been at this?" Buffy asked the Halliwells.

"It all started back in 1998," Piper said. "You see, we had no idea we were witches, let alone the Charmed Ones, for twenty years. After Phoebe was born, our Grams sealed our powers away to protect us from evil. The binding spell was broken automatically when she died. Prue and I didn't really take our destiny very well at first, but we've gotten past it for the most part."

"I know exactly how you feel," Buffy said, her eyes taking on a far-away look. Angel patted her shoulder tentatively, then immediately looked around to see if he had been observed. No one appeared to have noticed.

"What about you?" Willow said to Paige.

"I'm their half-sister," Paige replied. "I was born through an affair with our mom and her Whitelighter, Sam Wilder."

"Excuse me," Connor said. "What's a Whitelighter?"

"A race of guardian angels," Leo explained. "They protect good witches and humans destined to become Whitelighters."

"Angels?" Dean asked. "Like Cas?" Leo shook his head.

"Not exactly. Whitelighters are initially human. Castiel never was human to begin with. Plus, they tend to have a much... nicer disposition."

"Has anyone here even read the Bible?" Castiel said, exasperated. "Angels -my breed of angels, anyway- are warriors of God. I'm a soldier. Whitelighters aren't even allowed to fight, let alone kill, anyone most of the time."

"How do you know so much about Whitelighters?" Connor asked Leo. Phoebe cut in.

"He used to be one himself," she said. "Eventually, the Elders put him through a test, and he chose to fall from grace and live as a mortal."

"Now that that's out of the way, may I go on?" Paige asked. Everyone motioned for her to continue.

"Okay, as I was saying, back in those days, it was completely forbidden for a witch and Whitelighter to be in a relationship, so Mom and Dad gave me up for adoption because they were scared of what the Elders would do to them or me. My adopted parents died in a car crash when I was seventeen. I only found out about what I was and everything after Prue died."

With that, Prue turned to Angel.

"So what's your story?" she asked. "We know all about who and what you are. Angelus, the demon with the face of an angel, the most vicious and brutal vampire in recorded history. How'd you go from just another creature of the night to a big-time hero?"

"It started in 1898," Angel said, his expression even more brooding than usual. "I killed the favorite daughter of the Kalderash Clan of gypsies, and they came up with the perfect punishment for me: they restored my soul."

"The Ritual of Restoration," Piper said thoughtfully. "I've heard of it, but I've never seen it performed."

Angel nodded. "I don't know what kind of vampires you guys have faced," he said, indicating the Halliwells and Winchesters, "but when you become the kind of vampire Spike and me are, a demon sets up shop in your body, but your soul is gone. No conscience, no remorse, nothing. I spent the next hundred years trying to come to terms with infinite remorse, and it all changed in 1996."

"The same year I was called as the Slayer." Buffy added.

"I was approached by a guy named Whistler, an agent of the Powers That Be," Angel went on. "He brought me to Los Angeles and showed me just how bad Buffy had it. I fell in love, and moved to Sunnydale to wait for her and help her."

"So you two were-" Phoebe began, but Buffy and Angel cut her off.

"It's complicated!" they both said in perfect unison.

"Unfortunately, I found out the hard way what my Gypsy curse's escape clause is," Angel continued. "If I ever experience even a single moment of perfect happiness, the curse will be broken, and I turn back into Angelus. Buffy and I... spent the night together, and that's how it happened."

"Willow eventually cursed him again just as he tried to resurrect the demon Acathla," Buffy said. "But it was too late, and I had no choice. I put a sword through his heart, and he was sucked into hell."

"How did you get out?" Sam asked.

"Three months later, someone or something let me out," Angel said. "I'm still not sure how it happened. Buffy and I tried to make it work, but in the end, we had to accept that it wouldn't. After I helped her take out Mayor Wilkins, I moved to L.A. to focus on making amends for everything I've done. You're talking to the big cheese of Angel Investigations. We help the helpless."

At that, he produced an Angel Investigations business card and handed it to Piper. She looked at it in confusion.

"Is that a lobster?" she asked, indicating the logo. Angel shook his head.

"It's supposed to be an angel. I made the same mistake when I first saw it."

"How do you keep doing what you do?" Paige asked.

"The Shanshu Prophecy," Angel replied.

Leo thought for a minute. "I remember hearing of something like that," he said, and then recited it. "The vampire with a soul will play a pivotal role in the Apocalypse, for good or for evil -it doesn't specify which- and become a mortal human as his reward."

"Exactly," Angel said. "But it doesn't refer to any specific apocalypse, so as far as I'm concerned, redemption is the key."

"But both you and Spike have souls," Piper said, confused. "How do you know for sure which one the Shanshu is about?"

"We didn't, at first," Spike said. "We only found out during the Fall of Los Angeles."

"Fall of Los Angeles?" Sam asked.

"Three years ago, we worked for Wolfram & Hart, and royally pissed them off when we rebelled," Wesley explained.

"Wolfram & Hart?" Leo asked. "I've heard of them. A law firm that represents the worst evil in the universe." Angel nodded.

"We decided to go out in a blaze of glory by taking out their major players, the Circle of the Black Thorn. As punishment, the Senior Partners sent the entire city of L.A. itself to hell. They turned me human in the process to weaken me, and Gunn was turned into a vampire."

"How'd you fix it?" Prue asked, intrigued.

"Like Leo said, the Shanshu doesn't really specify whether or not I'll be fighting for good or evil when the time comes. Wolfram & Hart wants me alive and are always trying to turn me to their side for that. I tricked Gunn into killing me, and the Partners rewound time so that the Fall never happened. It was during that time that the Senior Partners explicitly revealed that the Shanshu concerns me and only me."

"Me, like I said before, I was called as Slayer in 1996. I was only fifteen," Buffy said. "My first major fight as Slayer was against the vampire king Lothos. I took him out after he took out my first Watcher Merrick, but I burned down my high school gym in the process. From there, I moved to Sunnydale, met Giles, Willow, and Xander, and formed our little Scooby Gang."

"Word travels pretty fast in the magical community," Leo said, a clear note of admiration in his voice. "In addition to your global Slayer activation, you're taken down the Master and the Order of Aurelius, and beaten the First Evil itself not once but twice. You're a living legend."

Buffy turned her head, blushing slightly.

"Thanks," she said modestly. "At least not everyone in America thinks I'm a lunatic terrorist." She turned to Sam and Dean. "So what's your guys's story?"

"We've been fighting demons ever since we were little," Dean explained. "Our mom was killed by the demon Azazel when Sam was only six years old. Our dad moved around a lot hunting demons, and he taught me and Sam just about everything he knows. He died about two years ago."

"Azazel. The yellow-eyed demon," Piper said thoughtfully. "I've heard of them. He made human babies into 'special children' by force-feeding them his blood."

"Yeah," Dean said. "Sam is one of them." Everyone gasped.

"Did you ever find Azazel?" Willow asked.

"Yep," Dean nodded. "In the process, though, Sam was killed, and I made a deal with a Crossroad demon to bring him back."

"Crossroad demon?" Piper asked. "I'm not familiar with that demon species."

"Crossroad demons are a species of deal-making demons known for their red eyes," Giles said. "They can grant any wish, but the end result is that the person making the wish will be dragged off to Hell after a set time. They're so named because they're summoned by digging a hole in the dead center of a set of crossroads and then burying a box containing a picture of the person wishing to make a deal, some graveyard dirt, and a bone from a black cat."

"And you actually made a deal with one?" Connor asked, looking at Dean as if he was crazy.

"I was desperate," Dean said simply. "A year after I made the deal, I was mauled by a hellhound, and ended up in Hell."

"Then how are you still here?" Gwen asked.

"Four months later, Castiel here brought be back to help stop the Apocalypse."

"Apocalypse?" Buffy asked, confused. "Do you have the slightest idea how many apocalypses I've managed to stop?"

"Not _an_ apocalypse, Slayer," Castiel said. "_The_ Apocalypse. The one foretold of in the Bible, in which Lucifer will rise."

"Lucifer?" Paige asked, shocked. "As in Satan? Old Scratch himself?" Castiel nodded.

"But you're only human," Dawn said, clearly confused. "How did you..."

"As it turns out, Azazel fed Sammy and other kids his blood to make them potential vessels for Lucifer," Dean explained. "Sam was the only survivor and the strongest of them all, so he ended up Lucifer's vessel on Earth. He fought it and cast himself back into Lucifer's Cage in Hell. Castiel saved him, but he came back without a soul."

"Without a soul?" Xander asked. "Does that mean what I think it means?"

"No," Castiel said. "We made a deal with Death to retrieve his soul after we found out about it, but he put in a series of mental blocks to keep Sam from remembering his time in the Cage. Without those blocks, Sam would most likely be in a hospital, nothing more than a drooling vegetable."

"I don't really remember what happened while I was soulless, but they told me about it," Sam explained. "I can't remember anything about being stuck in Lucifer's Cage, and frankly, I don't want to remember."

"I don't blame you," Angel said, and shuddered slightly. "I only spent three months in Acathla's hell, but in there, it was a hundred years. I still have nightmares about it."

After a few moments of silence, Dean spoke up again.

"So, would anyone mind telling me what the hell a bunch of demons are doing here?" he asked, gesturing to Illyria and Lorne. "Don't you know that demons are nothing but bad news?"

Everyone present in the room gave Dean a death glare, and Sam angrily elbowed him in the ribs.

"Shut up, Dean!" he hissed, then turned to the others. "Sorry. Dean's never been very... trusting when it comes to demons. We trusted a demon once, and it kinda blew up in our faces."

"'We'?" Dean said incredulously. "_You're_ the dumbass who trusted Ruby! I told you and told you that she was a two-timing bitch, but you didn't listen!"

Sam got in Dean's face.

"And I told you before that there _are_ good demons!" he snapped. "You're just too goddamn pigheaded to admit it!"

Willow stood, having had enough. "_Separate,_" she hissed.

As soon as that word came out of her mouth, Dean and Sam were immediately pulled apart and sent in opposite directions by an invisible force. Everyone turned to Willow, who had a dead serious expression on her face.

"We were all brought here to stop Eve from coming back to Earth," she said, calm but cold. "So if you or anyone else wanna argue or bitch and moan about working with demons or whatnot, you do it _after_ the world ends, okay?"

Sam and Dean nodded, along with everyone else.

"Good," she said, sitting back down. After a minute, Phoebe stood.

"Oookay," she said, "now that we've got that out of the way, what next?"

* * *

**Author's Note:  
**

Okay, 'nother chapter down. And seriously, people... _**review already!** _


End file.
